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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Why is Japan building a mini Japan in India - is it because of Fukushima?

Editor's Note: The Japanese plan to build a mini Japan on the East coast of India has led to much speculation as to the real reason why a city that would inhabit 50,000 Japanese is being planned for India's East Coast? Some have speculated that the Japanese elites are planning to abandon Tokyo as the deadly radiation from Fukushima continues to build all across Japan, and much of the Northern Hemisphere. Something like this has never been done in the past, so it is natural that such questions are being asked; another Fukushima type disaster would surely finish Japan, so is this a case of proactive actions being taken by the Powers that be in Japan? Only time will tell!

Govt plans urban development project in India for Japanese firms

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The government plans to carry out a huge urban development project in southern India that will include an industrial complex and a town to accommodate 50,000 residents, according to government sources.

The project, a public-private initiative to export social infrastructure, will be built on the outskirts of Chennai, India's fourth-largest city with a population of 5.7 million.

The industrial complex will be designed for small and midsize companies, while the residential area will include a housing complex built to Japanese standards and a shopping center to meet Japanese needs, the sources said.

Dubbed the "Detroit of India," Chennai is home to many automobile companies, such as BMW, Ford and Hyundai. Nissan Motor Co., Panasonic Corp. and Komatsu Ltd. are among about 300 Japanese companies that have opened branches there.

This will be the first urban development project in which infrastructure will be exported under the new growth strategy the government drew up in 2010, the sources said.

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yukio Edano will visit Chennai on Tuesday to ask for cooperation from the Tamil Nadu state government, according to the sources. Chennai is the state's capital.

Mizuho Corporate Bank and engineering company JGC Corp. will invest a total of 4 billion yen in the project. Plots of land for the 2.3-square-kilometer industrial complex will be put on sale starting in summer. Factories are expected to begin operating there in 2013.

A two-square-kilometer residential area will be developed near the industrial complex starting the same year. The area will be designed as a "resort city" offering a high-quality lifestyle for Japanese company employees and their families.

The town will feature high-grade condominiums overlooking the Indian Ocean, as well as a shopping center and a golf course run by Japanese companies. Full-time Japanese doctors will staff medical facilities, the sources said.

About 800 Japanese live in Chennai, but their families generally remain in Japan out of concern over the city's high temperatures and different customs.

The planned residential quarter is expected to attract executives of other foreign companies operating in India, as well as affluent locals, according to the sources.

For the urban development project, Ascendas Pte Ltd., a developer funded by the Singapore government, will be in charge of land preparation and construction work. Mizuho will recruit Japanese companies hoping to establish branches in Chennai, while JGC will handle infrastructure development, such as converting seawater to provide a water supply.

As many parts manufacturers and other companies are interested in branching out in Chennai to take advantage of India's fast-developing economy, there has been a growing demand for an industrial complex for small and midsize Japanese firms because the country has an inadequate infrastructure in such areas as power and water supply.